Unparalleled
by WonderfulWeaselbee
Summary: Percy Jackson is being sent across the country to live with his estranged father. There he meets his next-door neighbor, Annabeth Chase. At first, it seems as though the two were never meant to coexist. Like parallel lines, never meant to intersect. But as the two get to know each other, will their feelings for each other change? Into something unparalleled?
1. Percy

**Disclaimer: Everything but the plot belongs to Rick Riordan**

Hey guys! So I decided to start a new story/fanfiction. Enjoy, I guess?

* * *

><p>*<strong>Percy<strong>*

_She was actually serious. _

I watched the houses disappear out of view as the car sped past. Normally, I loved getting out of the house. But not right now. My mom had shipped across the country to go live with my estranged father, Poseidon, in New York. I thought she was joking.

Why, you might ask? Well, my mom and I had originally lived in New York when I was little. But then things took a turn for the worse when my mom married a guy named Gabe Ugliano. Now, you might be asking yourself this: if this guy is so horrible, why did your mom marry him?

I'm going to be honest with you guys here. Truth be told, I never understand why my mom would marry such a creep? Hmm, I'll have to ask her.

We had moved to San Francisco because of him. I hated him with a passion. He could never hold a job, treated my mom and I like crap, and he smelled like it too. I came up with a nickname for him – Smelly Gabe – and called him that behind his back.

You're going to have to get used to me going off on a tangent. I have ADHD, so my thoughts always lead from one thing to another, until I have no clue about how I got to whatever topic I was thinking or talking about. My package of ADHD also includes can't-stop-moving. I usually don't even notice it when I'm tapping my head or bobbing my head to a nonexistent beat until someone gets annoyed and points it out.

On top of that, I also have dyslexia. All the words get jumbled up in my mind and ends looking like Greek, or some other language other than English.

As you can probably tell, I'm not a stellar student. It's a miracle that I wasn't held back yet. In fact, I had gotten kicked out of multiple schools back home. For what reasons, I can't remember. But I can assure you that it was an accident. I just have bad luck.

Anyway, back to why I'm heading to live with someone who I haven't seen since age one. Well, my mom recently divorced Gabe – finally – but he's been stalking her ever since, showing up at our apartment, finding my mom at work.

So my mom decided to file a restraining order. But there were some complications and my mom didn't want me to be a part of it, so she contacted my dad, like, hey, I know it's been awhile, but I just got divorced and I filed a restraining order against my ex-husband. However, there were complications, so could you keep an eye on our son who you haven't seen in about sixteen years?

That must have been quite the phone call. Wish I'd been able to eavesdrop.

"Besides," my mom had said, "I think you need a fresh start. I know you have a hard time in school and what better than trying something new across the country? New place, new experiences." My mom was always the optimist.

I smiled, shaking my head. I was a Mama's boy. Sue me.

The stop of the car jolted me out of my thoughts. I climbed out from the back and took my bags from the driver.

"Thanks," I muttered, slinging my duffel bag over my shoulder.

"Don't mention it," the driver said with a shrug. "By the way, your dad already paid for you. Welcome to New York. Enjoy your stay."

"Yeah, I'm not sure I will," I muttered under my breath, but he didn't seem to hear me as he got back into his car.

With a tip of his baseball cap, he hopped back into his car and sped away, leaving me to stand in front of Poseidon's house.

I took this time to study it. It was a good size, yet seemingly modest; being marine biologist must pay well. I guess any size house would seem big, since back in San Francisco, I had lived in a small, crowded apartment with two other people.

The house itself was painted white, complete with a brown shingled roof and the front door and shutters were a sea-green. On the front porch sat several chairs, and there were two garage doors in the left side of the house. The front lawn was neatly trimmed, and behind the house there was a white picket fence that separated the front yard from the backyard.

I slowly walked up the driveway, dragging my suitcase behind me.

My sneakers slapped wood as I climbed the stairs to the porch and stopped in front of the door. I let out a deep breath, rolled up the sleeves of my dark green sweatshirt, and rang the doorbell.

One, two, three, four, five . . .

Finally, I heard footsteps making their way to the door. I locked my gaze onto my converse-clad sneakers until I heard the door open.

There stood Poseidon, his head bent at an awkward position as he talked into his cell phone that was secured between his head and shoulder. One hand was holding a coffee mug while the other stirred it with one of those coffee-stick-things.

Poseidon's hair was black and peppered with white, and he sported a five o'clock shadow, but he didn't look old at all. His skin was really tan, like he'd just come back from a week at the beach, he was a bit taller than me, and was dressed in a pair of denim jeans and a plain white T-shirt.

"I know, I know, but all I'm saying is that . . ." Poseidon's sea-green eyes, the ones that I had inherited, widened at the sight of me, "Really sorry, but I have to go. We'll talk later." The hand that was stirring coffee let go of the stick to take his phone and end the call, before slipping into his back pocket.

"Perseus," Poseidon beamed at me, "How have you been? You've grown so much."

"Don't call me Perseus," I muttered irritably, "I go by Percy. I've been better. And I've obviously grown since the last time you saw me was when I was one."

Poseidon's smile dimmed. "Right." He seemed taken aback. "Well, come in."

He opened the door more. I stepped inside and glanced around.

I have to be honest with you. The guy knew how to decorate.

The walls were a soft tan color, in contrast to the dark blue furniture and the dark brown floor. Poseidon had substituted flowers for brightly colored anemones, which were kept in little glass jars. A staircase that leads upstairs stood to the right of the door. Pictures of the beach and the ocean hung in frames from the wall, as well as the occasional starfish or sand dollar.

But the time that caught my eye the most – and it would've caught your eye too, trust me – was the aquarium in the room left of the door. It wasn't just your regular glass-tank-that-sat-on-a-table aquarium.

The aquarium was placed in a corner of the room. The glass stretched from the middle of one wall to another, and was almost as tall as the ceiling. The little gap was probably left so the fish could be fed. Speaking of fish, ones of different colors and sizes were swimming among corals. Little hermits scuttled on the sandy bottom while more sea anemones waved their little arms in water.

The dude has a fucking _aquarium_ in his house.

And to be honest, it was pretty cool. I would definitely have checked that out if Poseidon hadn't been around.

But I was also peeved, because while my mom and I were suffering with Gabe, my Poseidon was living all by himself comfortably in this big house that probably cost more than three times than the apartment.

I clenched my fists.

"This is how you've been living!" I kept my voice as low as could, but I could feel my anger rising. "In this decked out place while my mom and I were busying dealing with a fucking creep!"

I tried taking a deep breath. Didn't help.

"This is what you left a _family_ for? For a nice big house and your little fish friends? Did you know that Gabe hit mom?"

Poseidon's face blanched. I laughed sardonically.

"That's right." I just wanted to get it all out. "She never said anything, but I noticed the way she walked out from a 'talk' with Gabe, hunched over. Did she ever tell you that?" My voice had dropped to a whisper, my fists shaking with repressed rage.

Poseidon held up his hands warily. "Percy, I need you to calm down."

"Yeah, calm," I muttered under my breath, "I can do calm."

I took a deep breath before asking, in the politest tone I could muster, "You mind showing me where my room is? Was that calm enough?"

Poseidon slowly gestured to the stairs. "Follow me." He moved towards the stairs, and then turned back around. "Need help with your bags?"

"No." I quickly grabbed my stuff. "I'm good."

Poseidon shrugged. "Suit yourself."

I followed him up the stairs, dragging my bags behind me. When we reached the top floor Poseidon turned down a hallway and stopped at the first door to the left.

"Here's your room," he said, opening in the door. I walked past him and dumped my stuff on the floor.

"Well," Poseidon began, "make yourself at home. I'll be downstairs, so if you need anything, just give me a holler." Before he left, he added one last thing.

"Look, Percy, I know you probably hold a grudge against me for leaving you and your mom years ago." Oh, I definitely held a grudge. I think my outburst a few minutes ago proved just that. "But I want you to know that, whether you like it or not, I am your father. And because I'm your father, I will be here for you if you need me," Poseidon stated.

Well, that was unexpected. I kept my face emotionless, but mentally, my jaw had gone slack.

"Yeah, okay," I mumbled, looking away to unzip my bags.

"I'll call you down for dinner. I don't know what I'm making tonight, but it'll be good." He closed the door and the sound of his footsteps faded.

I took out my stuff, dumped my clothes in a dresser in the closet, and placed whatever was left on my new desk. Now that I had finished unpacking, I took this time to survey my new room.

It was much nicer than back home. My old room had also been Gabe's junk room. It had been littered with empty beer bottles and cigarette stubs.

It was definitely much bigger than my old one, the walls a nice ocean blue. My bed was also bigger, and covered with a dark blue and white bedspread. Speaking of dark blue and white, the curtains that currently covered the window were the same color.

I drew away a curtain, and glanced outside. Opposite my window was another one on the house to the right. Silvery grey curtains were drawn over the window, preventing me from peeking inside.

Great, now I felt like creep. I withdrew from the window, letting the curtain fall back into place.

I was now starting to feel restless after pacing around my room, reorganizing my stuff and failing, and staring at some photographs of rather weird-looking fish.

I was bored. I rummaged through the junk on my desk and got my iPod and ear buds.

Quietly opening the door, I stuck my head out, glancing both ways. Poseidon wasn't there, so I quickly climbed down the stairs.

I was just about to make it to the front door. It was literally three feet away. But then . . .

"Where do you think you're heading off to?"

I slowly pivoted on my heels to face Poseidon. He had an amused experience on his face, his grin lopsided.

"I was just going outside. What, think I'm going to get myself in trouble?" I demanded.

Poseidon just shook his head. "I trust you, even though your mom told me about some of your mishaps back home. But everyone makes mistakes, right?" However, he then fixed me if a serious look on his face.

"But please try not to make them again." Poseidon's expressions became humorous again. "Although, not many people can say that they have blown up a school bus with a Revolutionary War cannon. You'll have to tell me that story someday."

I scratched the back of my neck in discomfort. It was by accident, I swear, but nobody believed when I was expelled from my _fifth _school. That's right folks. Experienced expellee – is that even a word? – right here.

"Yeah," I awkwardly cleared my throat. "I was just going to head out. Feeling restless, you know."

Poseidon nodded understandingly. Then his face lit up.

"Wait, I've got something for you. Hold on." He disappeared to somewhere in the back of the house. I patiently – not really – waited, twiddling my thumbs. Poseidon reappeared with something in his hands after a few moments.

"Here," he said, handing me the item. It was a longboard, decorated with wave patterns. I mentally rolled my eyes. Of course.

"I never got around to using it," Poseidon informed me with a shrug, "Guess it just sort of became a memorabilia."

"Anyway, why don't you take it out for a spin?" he suggested, "Your mom told me that you used to skateboard. I don't know the difference between a longboard and a skateboard, but it ought to be similar, right?"

Yeah, before Gabe got rid of my old skateboard. I was starting to wonder how often my mom contacted Poseidon. He seemed to know an awful lot about me.

"Yeah, thanks," I said, albeit awkwardly. Why was he being so nice?

"No problem." Poseidon waved a dismissive hand. "Just be back in about thirty minutes? I'm going to get started on dinner." Then he spun around and started walking back towards the kitchen.

Before I chickened out, I called out to him.

"Poseidon?" He stopped and turned to face me, an inquiring expression on his face. "Sorry about earlier." His expression softened.

"No problem. We all need to let off steam every once and while, right?" I nodded. Poseidon smiled before he walked away, whistling.

After he left, I immediately went outside and set the longboard on the driveway. I hadn't ridden a skateboard (or a longboard in this case. But seriously, how different can they be?). Placing my left foot on the board, I pushed off with my right.

I rode the skateboard down the driveway, turning left onto the sidewalk. I stuck my ear buds in, took out my iPod, and started the music.

After my sixth lap around the block, I was beginning to feel hungry. As I was rounding the last corner, a song that I didn't particularly like started to play. So I took my iPod out from the pocket and skipped the song. Just as I slipped my device back into my pocket, I glanced up to see a girl walking on the sidewalk, reading a book.

I was going way too fast to be able to stop in time. I tried warning her.

"Hey, watch –" Too late. She glanced up right before I rammed into her.

* * *

><p>Thanks so much for reading!<p>

If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, free to PM me or review.


	2. Annabeth

**Yay, another chapter!**

* * *

><p>*<strong>Annabeth*<strong>

"Annabeth, are you busy right now?"

"No."

"Great. Go outside." My dad stepped into the room, arms crossed against his chest. "Sweetie, reading is great. But you can't read all the time."

_Yes I can._

"How about going outside and walking around for a bit, stretch out your legs," he suggested, "I think you could use a little sun." I glanced down at my very tan limbs. Yeah, I _definitely _needed more sun. Please note that I'm being sarcastic.

"Fine, just give me a sec," I grumbled.

"Great! Be back in half an hour." My dad left my room, leaving me alone.

If he wanted me to go outside, I'll go outside. But I'm bringing my book with me. I was in the middle of a book about the different styles of ancient architectural work. It was really fascinating.

I can feel your judgment. Stop it.

It's just that my mom loved architecture too. Ever since she passed away, architecture became a passion of mine. My dream is to be an architect someday, and maybe design something big in New York.

I snapped the book shut and heaved myself onto my feet. Tying my curly blond hair into a ponytail, I made my way down the stairs and towards the front door. But just as I was walking past in the living room, I was bombarded by two little bodies.

"Bobby! Matt!" I scolded, but I couldn't keep the amusement out of my voice. I looked down at my twin brothers where they had each latched onto a leg.

"What are you doing," I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"We're pretending to be cannonballs," Bobby replied.

"We're the good guys," Matt stated.

"And you're the enemy."

"So, naturally –"

"– we would target the enemy –"

"– and since we've hit you –"

"– so you should be dead right now –"

"– because our cannon shot us at 200 meters per second – "

"– and we're each about forty-five pounds –"

"Hold up, are you sure? I thought we were forty-eight pounds."

"Matt, I'm sure! I weighed myself this morning."

"And you just assumed I would weigh the same as you?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, okay. Onward with the explanation, then."

"Anyway, so, _theoretically_ speaking –"

"– we would have hit you with a force of –"

"Alright, alright!" The whole finishing-each-other's-sentences-thing still threw me off every time.

And, seriously, my brothers were _way _too smart for seven year olds. Bobby and Matt spent their time designing catapults – which were usually tested on me – or watching science videos on YouTube.

But then again, who am I to judge. I started designing buildings when I was six.

"As fascinating as that was," I began, placing my book on a nearby sofa so that I could pry my brothers off my legs, "I have places to be."

"Is Dad making you go outside _again_?" Matt asked, blowing a strand of curly blond hair out of his eye afterwards.

I sighed. "Again."

The twins pulled themselves onto their feet. "Have fun," they chorused, before speeding away. Most likely to target another victim.

As I unlocked the door, I heard my dad, in a rather un-masculine way, yelp, "Boys!"

I snickered as I stepped outside.

It was currently the last week of August, and school was already in session. I was now a senior, and – as per usual – thoroughly excited to see what new things would happen this year.

Anyway, after I got to the sidewalk I opened up my book.

_I'll just read and walk around the block at the same time. That should satisfy Dad._

But as I was flipping through the book to find the page I had left off on, I heard a voice shout, "Hey!"

I looked up to see a skateboarder zooming towards me, his mouth forming the next word.

Too late.

Before I could even think about moving, he plowed into me. My book fell out of my hands and I tumbled backwards, landing hard on my butt. His skateboard skidded across the sidewalk and into the grass.

"What the heck!" I demanded, spitting strands of black hair out of my mouth. I got up, rubbing my backside. _That's definitely going to bruise. _I didn't even spare the guy that had hit me a glance as I quickly rushed to where my book lay a few feet away; carefully flipping through to make sure nothing was ripped.

"I should be the one asking 'What the heck!'" Skater-boy retorted, irritably. I looked down to see him sitting on the sidewalk, brushing pieces of dirt off his shirt. "Who stands and reads in the middle of a sidewalk?"

I glared down at him. "I was trying to find my page!" I defended myself, "Why are you skateboarding if you can't even see what's in front of you."

"I was changing the song on my iPod," he replied, calmly now, while still brushing off grass bits, "And it's a long board, not a skateboard."

"Same difference," I replied, dismissively. I continued with my spiel. "Ever heard of not texting while driving? Why don't you apply that to your skateboarding, huh? I could've gotten seriously hurt!"

When his head lifted so that he could give me an unamused look, I finally got a good look at his face.

I'm not going to lie; the guy wasn't terrible looking. His hair was the color of obsidian, and it looked windswept, like he had just spent a day at the beach. His skin was tan, which – along with his dark hair – made his bright green eyes pop. Eyes shouldn't be that bright.

_Where have I seen that eye-color before? _I couldn't put my finger on it, which was seriously frustrating me. Before I could ponder some more, Skater-boy's voice broke through my thoughts.

"Long boarding," he corrected. I rolled my eyes.

"Are you dead? No, you're not," he said, answering his own question. "So you're fine. Stop being such a wuss."

I gasped indignantly. "What if I had broken a bone? I don't know about you, but to me, that is not 'fine'." I made quotations with my fingers.

Skater-boy stood up. He was tall, about six feet, which meant that he was taller than me by a few inches. He walked over to his long board and picked it up, before he answered me.

"Look, you didn't break a bone, so I don't care." He rolled his eyes, probably because of the fact that I was firing daggers at him from my eyes. If I could literally accomplish that feat, I would. But I can't, so I'm stuck with imaginary ones. "The only thing I care about is you not being here after I finish this next lap around the block."

With that, he placed his skateboard on the ground, put one foot on it, and pushed off.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" I asked, enraged, at his retreating back.

"Wise Girl, my name's Percy Jackson," was his response.

_Jackson, Jackson, Jackson. Wait a minute, he couldn't possibly be . . . Hold up. Why'd he call me Wise Girl?_

"Annabeth, what are you doing?" I looked up to see my dad looking at me, confused. "I thought you had gone on a walk."

"I was, but then –" I shook my head. "Never mind."

My dad shrugged. "You might as well come back inside. I finished making dinner already."

I irritably stomped into the house. I certainly didn't want to be outside he got back. If there was one thing I knew for sure, it was that Percy Jackson was an ass.

The smell of homemade lasagna interrupted my thoughts. Look, I have ADHD. My thoughts tend to jump around. The only reason I'm a good student is because I actually worked on finding a way to studying that worked for my scattered mind. But I haven't quite mastered staying on track with non-school-related thoughts yet.

I followed my dad to where the table was set and sat down for dinner.

* * *

><p>My Monday was going <em>great<em>. Not really.

I had woken up late because apparently we had some last-minute assignment that was sent out over the weekend by the teacher via email, an assignment that I didn't receive. This was only brought to my attention after I received a text from my best friend Thalia who needed help on the assignment. So I had stayed up late helping Thalia and completing my own homework.

I swear, if I didn't get an _A_ on this assignment, I was going to smack the teacher upside the head. I know it's high school, but seriously, it's only the second week of school! Even over-achievers like myself do not appreciate the extra homework.

So now I was running around, throwing on a pair of clean clothes, yanking my hair into a messy bun, and grabbing a granola bar and a little carton of orange juice.

Since I lived within a mile of my high school, the buses didn't stop in my neighborhood. Yeah, I have to walk to school every day.

I don't mind it; it's refreshing, actually. But not today.

I quickly laced up my grey converse and slung my backpack onto my shoulder.

"Bye Dad," I called as I walked out the door. After closing the door, I quickly walked through the cool morning air. I took the same route every day, the route I have been using for the past three years since I was a freshman.

After about eight minutes, I reached Goode High School. It was a small school, but a good one (no pun intended), and its halls were already jam-packed with students; some at their lockers, others making their way to first period.

I pushed my way through the crowd to my locker. After "politely" asking a couple who were making out against my locker to move, I unlocked my locker and shoved my backpack inside. Grabbing the things I needed for first period, I slammed my locker door shut, spun the dial, and headed off to my first class: World History.

World History was my favorite class, probably because it had the best teacher ever: Chiron Brunner. Mr. Brunner was the best. He always made his classes fun. When we learned about ancient Egypt he let us design and build our own pyramids. Needless to say, I got a perfect score on that project. While learning around the United States, we reenacted the many wars.

This year we were going to learn about the ancient Greeks and Romans. I was excited; I absolutely loved Greek mythology. _Maybe we'll get to build miniature chariots. _

I slid into my assigned seat in the front row, which was between an empty seat and my friend Thalia, whose head was currently cradled in her arms.

"Good morning, Sunshine," I cooed. Thalia groaned, turning her head to lazily glare at me with one eye.

"Shut up," she muttered. I rolled my eyes. "There should be a rule against coming to school this early in the morning."

"Hey, at least we get out of school earlier," I tried.

"Yeah," Thalia scoffed, "Not early enough."

"Hey, I have some news for you." When Thalia arched an eyebrow, I continued. "I met this guy named Percy the other day." Thalia opened her mouth, probably to make a snide comment, but I quickly burst her bubble.

"No, no, not like that!" I stammered, "He was a total ass after running me over with his skateboard. Long board, I mean." Thalia's eyes widened incredulously.

"Do I need to kick this Percy's ass?" she demanded, "What does he look like?"

"Actually, I think it's best we leave it alone. Besides, he probably doesn't even go to his school. I think he's new here."

"He was in your neighborhood though. If he moved into your neighborhood, he'll probably be going to school here." I shot Thalia a glare, who shrugged, "I'm just saying. But if you need help to kick his ass, I'll gladly help."

I shook my head with amusement. Thalia exuded don't-mess-with-me. Her dark hair, heavily-lined eyes, and gothic style definitely complimented her attitude and fiery temper.

I looked up from my book when I heard squealing, as did Thalia.

"Speaking of people who need their asses kicked," she muttered, dropping her head back into her arms.

Drew Tanaka strode in the classroom, dressed in too-short shorts and a crop top that showed off her bellybutton piercing, with her lackeys in tow. The only reason she hasn't gotten kicked out of school yet was because her father donated large sums of money to the school each year. Yeah, she was one of _those _people.

"Ohmigod," Drew squealed, "Did you see the new guy? He is, like, _so _hot!"

"Totally," chorused her followers.

"I'm totally gonna get him to ask me out," Drew continued. I rolled my eyes, not intending for Drew to see the action, and returned my attention back to my book. However, when I heard heels clicking my way, I knew that I had been spotted.

"I saw that, you know." I looked up to see Drew leaning against my desk, sneering down at me. I scoffed. I quickly glanced at Thalia.

Thankfully, she was asleep. It Thalia had been awake right now, she would probably have literally kicked Drew's ass with her studded combat boots.

"Like I care whose lives you mess with," I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms and calmly staring back at her.

"Jealous much, bitch?" Drew snarled, her sneer baring her upper lip like a feral dog. I tried to hold back my laughter.

"God, no," I cleared my throat, "In the future, while I'll be getting a nice paycheck, the only thing that you'll be getting is an STD. Can't live off daddy forever."

Drew's jaw dropped with incredulity. "Why, you little b–"

"Am I interrupting something?" Mr. Brunner questioned, leaning towards us in his wheelchair with his eyebrows raised.

Drew quickly shut up, I sat with smug smile, and Thalia woke up from her nap with a snort.

"No, sir," Drew responded with a sickly-sweet smile, before strutting back to her seat.

"Morning, Mr. Brunner," I greeted.

"Good morning to you too, Annabeth," he replied, a smile on his face, "I think it's about time we started class."

Mr. Brunner wheeled himself behind his desk before calling out to the class.

"Welcome back to a new school year kids!" he began, "We have a lot to do this year, so we better get started. This semester we will be covering –"

Mr. Brunner stopped talking as everyone, including me, turned their head towards the door as in opened. The girls in the back started giggling and whispering.

My eyes widened in surprise. _It was him._

"Welcome," Mr. Brunner greeted the newcomer with a warm smile, "You must be the new student. What's your name, son?"

"Percy Jackson," Percy replied smoothly, his grip tightening around the strap of his backpack, which was hanging on one shoulder. He looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but here.

I felt Thalia's eyes on me. I turned slightly to face her.

"I guessing that that's the guy who ran you over?" she whispered.

"Yeah," I muttered.

"Well, Percy, let's get you seated." Mr. Brunner glanced around the room, his eyes stopping when they landed on me.

_Hell. No._

"Percy, why don't you have a seat next to Annabeth." I watched as Percy's eyes scanned the room, probably to size everyone up. "Annabeth, raise your hand please."

I took a deep breath, and then slowly raised my hand.

I could tell Percy recognized from yesterday's incident because his eyes widened briefly, before his facial expression returned to indifference like the one he had been wearing this whole time.

He slowly made his way to the empty next to me. As he passed, Thalia's eyes followed him, sizing him up. She had a frown on her face.

I watched out of the corner of my eye as Percy sat down, tossing his background on the floor, and slouched against the back of his chair.

"Now that Percy has joined us, let's begin class!" Mr. Brunner continued, "It's going to be a fun year."

_To each their own._

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading. <strong>

**If you find any mistakes, just leave a comment or PM me. I'll really appreciate it. Just don't be rude about it.**

**Or you can leave a comment, favorite, or follow this story because you're just an awesome human being.**

**Please? Just kidding.**


	3. Percy 2

**I'm back with another chapter! **

**Yay, I guess.**

* * *

><p><strong>*Percy*<strong>

Finally, one more class before lunch. I was starving.

And lost. Very lost.

Goode may be a small school, but the hallways on the map intersected so many times that my head was spinning just from looking at it.

The bell rung. Since I was now late to class no whatever when I show up, I decided to just give up, wander around, and hopefully find my classroom.

As I approached the corner of a hallway, I heard a voice plead, "Please, let's not do this." I slowly pressed myself against the wall and peeked around the corner.

A group of boys had cornered another smaller boy, who was leaning on the wall for support. Probably because the crutches that he needed were on the ground. The surrounded boy had curly brown hair covered by a beanie and wore a shirt promoting recycling over his scrawny frame.

I felt the sudden need to defend the guy. Back in L.A., I had been bullied a lot. But this kid named Tyson had had it a lot more worse. He used to bullied a lot in school because he was freakishly tall and had a deformed eye. He was an orphan too, which didn't make things any better. Eventually, I decided to stand up for Tyson, and he became my first friend. But he got adopted a year later. Even though I had been happy for the guy, Tyson getting adopted meant that he had to move, which left me alone again. But ever since then, I always hated bullies.

A blond dude, who I guessed was the leader of this little group, roughly shoved the other guy while the group snickered. "Why? You gonna shit your pants, Underwood?"

Before "Underwood" could open his mouth, I stepped in.

"I know this is said way too often, but shouldn't you be picking on someone your own size," I questioned, leaning against the wall and folding my arms. Everyone momentarily forgot what they were doing to look at me, shocked.

Blondie made his way towards me slowly, "Who, like you?" I shrugged. They would be in for one hell of a surprise if they tried to attack me.

"Nah, not in the mood," I replied, glancing at the brown-haired boy cowering against the wall. Blondie's eyes narrowed menacingly. "Who are you?" I directed my question at Blondie.

"Luke Castellan," he answered, scanning me with curious eyes. Luke then gestured to the other guys, "and we are the Titans. You new?"

"Yeah. My name's Percy Jackson. I would say it's nice to meet you, but I don't wanna lie," I quipped with a sardonic smirk. Luke smirked back, and the jagged scar that ran down his cheek made his smirk appear sinister.

"Hold on." Luke gestured to his group and they all huddled together, speaking in hushed tones. I glanced at Grover. He had gotten a hold of his crutches, but was standing there uncertainly, as if he was wondering whether or not he could go. I caught his eye.

'Go,' I mouthed at him, and jerked my thumb in the direction from which I had come from. Grover gave me a nod and a hesitant smile, before quietly limping away.

Just a few seconds later, the Titans finished their huddle, and Luke spoke.

"We have a proposition for you," he began. I already knew what my answer was going to be. "We'd like you to join the Titans. It takes a lot of guts to stand up to us, which means you impressed us. If you join us, you'll instantly become popular." I snorted. Yeah, as if I didn't have enough attention on me already.

"I'll pass," I told him, delighting in the shocked expression that formed on Luke's and the Titan members' face. Guess nobody had rejected their offer before. Then again, there weren't of them to begin with.

"You sure?" Luke cracked his knuckles threateningly while the other Titan members circled loosing around Luke and me. I stared back at them coolly.

"You don't wanna fight me," I said.

"Yeah, because you know we would win," Luke sneered, his blue eyes glittering menacingly. The Titans were beginning to fidget, like they couldn't wait to beat me up

"Oh, so it's six against one," I pretended to think, "You know what? It might actually be a fair fight now."

Luke snarled, before rushing at me. I nimbly side-stepped and tripped him, sending him flying into Titan #2. The two crashed against a wall and collapsed to the ground with twin groans. The rest of the Titans surged forward.

I clapped my hands against Titan #3's ears, causing him to stagger and bump into Titan #4, and land together in a heap on the floor. Titan #5 and #6 came at me from opposite sides. All I had to do was move out of the way and watch as the two crashed into each other and join their friends on the tile floor. I chuckled.

Pathetic. I didn't even need to do anything.

"Thanks for the entertainment, Titans," I said, walking back to where I originally came from, "But I should get to class. See you guys around."

When I rounded the corner, I was surprised to see the curly-haired boy standing here.

"What are you still doing here?" I asked bluntly. He blushed.

"I-uh-I wanted t-to thank you for saving m-me," he stammered, fingers tapping nervously on his crutches, "I'm Grover, by the way. You're Percy."

"No problem," I muttered, "You okay? Did they hurt you?"

"Just some bruises on my arms, it's no big deal," Grover shrugged nonchalantly, "I'm used to it." I raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you put up with their shit?" I questioned, tucking my hands into the pocket of my thin, dark green hoodie.

Grover shot me a cynical smile. "Do I honestly seem capable enough to stand up to them?"

"I'm just saying. Besides, those crutches could do some serious damage to the Titans if they ever tried to physically harm you again," I suggested.

"Yeah, whatever," Grover muttered. I guess this is my clue to change the subject.

"Hey, can you show me where this room is?" I pulled my folded school map from the my jean pocket. Grover took a quick look at the room I was pointing at and nodded.

"Sure," he said, "It's actually on the way to my next class. Let me just stop by the office to grab us passes, so we won't be counted as late." After turning down several more hallways, we reached a door labeled 'Office'. Grover disappeared inside for a few moments before reappearing with two slips of orange paper.

"Here." Grover handed one to me. "Just give it to your teacher when you walk in."

I followed him through the maze of hallways, before eventually stopping when he did outside a door.

"This is your classroom," Grover said, nodding at the door, "It was nice to meet you. Maybe we'll see each other around. Thanks again." He turned to walk away.

"You too," I muttered, "And thanks. For helping me find my classroom."

Grover turned around again, grinning. "No problem. What are friends for?" And with that he limped away on his crutches to his class.

_Friends. What a foreign word_, I thought as I entered my classroom.

* * *

><p>Why can't people just mind their own business?<p>

I don't get it. Am I really _that_ interesting?

I guess so, considering the amount of stares that had been directed at me and all the whispers about me.

Now it was lunch, and for the first time today, nobody noticed. Probably because they were too absorbed in whatever they were doing at the moment.

So far, according to the everyone else, I am here because I got expelled for doing something absolutely _terrible_. Actually, I _have_ gotten expelled multiple times. Once it was for blowing up a school bus with a cannon from the Revolutionary War. It had been an accident. I hadn't been aiming for the bus, but well, you get the idea. Another time was when I accidentally dunked my class into a tank at an aquarium. I leaned against the wrong thing, which turned to be the lever that conveniently opened to glass panels my class was standing on. The list goes on and on. I'm just unlucky enough to find myself stuck in unfortunate situations. I think the fact that I'm now living in New York with my estranged dad while my mother deals with her stalker-of-an-ex-husband is proof enough.

I've also heard what everyone else thinks of me. According to them, I am: a sociopath, the "hot" new guy - heard that when I was passing a group of girls in the hallway - or someone to stay away from. I agree with the last assumption. Stay out of my way and we'll be fine. Just look at what happened to the Titans.

Speaking of which, I can see them sitting at a table in the far corner of the cafeteria from where I stood at near the cafeteria's room. I watched Luke's eyes scour the area before locking on me, a scowl on his face. But he and the Titans didn't make a move. I smirked, before looking away to find an empty table to sit at.

But before I could move, I was blocked my someone. A girl, to be exact, with long black hair, tan skin, and dressed in a revealing outfit. I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"Uh, do you need something?" I asked, trying to sidle past her. But every time I moved she would mirror my actions. The girl laid a hand on my forearm.

"Actually," she gazed up at me through heavily-coated lashes,"I was wondering if you needed anything. Like a private tour, if you know what I mean. I'm Drew Tanaka, by the way." She winked at me and let out a giggle. I felt sick.

Before I could reject her oh-so-generous offer, someone bumped into the girl in front of me, knocking her off balance.

"I'm sor-" Annabeth began, before realizing who she had bumped into. "Oh, it's Drew. Never mind." Annabeth's eyes widened briefly when she saw me, and her eyes flickered between me and Drew, as if assessing the situation. She didn't move.

Drew brushed herself off, as if Annabeth had given some sort of deadly virus, "Watch where you're going, bitch," she snarled, before returning her attention back to me, "So, what do you say?" She smiled what I think was supposed to be a seductive smile.

"No thanks," I told Drew, whose face had adopted an expression of astonishment. It was hilarious. "God knows how many private tours you've given, if you know what I mean." I shuddered.

Someone snickered. I looked over Drew's shoulder to see Annabeth trying to smother her laughter with a book. I couldn't help but smile.

"B-b-but," stammered Drew. Obviously, she wasn't used to being rejected. But I actually have standards when it comes to girls.

"You know what?" Annabeth stepped in as Drew tried to form coherent words, "I was actually looking for you. C'mon Seaweed Brain, let's go." She grabbed ahold of my arm with her free hand and dragged me away from Drew. "Stop being so pathetic, Drew," she called back over her shoulder. Drew replied with a strangled scream.

"Seaweed Brain?" I questioned. What kind of nickname was that? Annabeth continued to maneuver through the sea of students.

"Nicknames make people seem closer," Annabeth answered, "Less trouble getting you away if we seemed like friends. Your eyes made me think of _seaweed_, and you're smart enough to reject Drew, hence _brain_. Besides, you called me Wise Girl yesterday."

I scoffed, "My eyes are _way_ prettier than seaweed. And you were reading a book about _architecture_."

"Not the point," Annabeth retorted, "And I like architecture."

I rolled my eyes.

"Finally," Annabeth breathed out when we reached a table in the center of the room and turned around to face me. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to see Drew get rejected. The bitch honestly needed to be taken down a notch. Or ten." I raised an eyebrow and glanced down at my arm where Annabeth's hand was still wrapped around it. Annabeth's eyes followed my gaze and quickly dropped my arm.

"You know, I might not like you," Annabeth stated matter-of-factly, "But I have respect for any guy who can reject Drew and leave her speechless."

"Even guys who ran you over with a long board?" I jested. Annabeth glared up at me, before rolling her eyes.

"Yeah," she sighed, "I have a giant bruise on my back, thanks to you." I sheepishly scratched the back of my head.

"Yeah, sorry about that," I muttered, "I was a jerk."

"Apology accepted, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth smirked, "Sorry for, you know, being a bitch."

"Apology accepted, Wise Girl."

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading!<strong>

**You know, commenting, favoriting, or following won't hurt anyone.**

**Why don't you try it?**

**Seriously, it would mean a lot.**

**Until next time . . .**


End file.
